Sometimes, the mountains you need to summit are mental.
My training was underway for Mt. Rainier in the winter of 2018, and while I was seven months out from attempting to summit, the challenges had begun as I prepared. This time, the challenges were more mental than physical with the stress of my grandmother, Mimi--passing away on February 6, 2018. I was living in CT at the time, and on one of the trips to PA to see Mimi, my brother Jay and I talked for nearly half of my drive there, about Mimi, about Rainier, about similar challenges like Jay's five IronMan Triathlons.
We talked about how with the proper training and conditioning the body knows what to do. What gets in the way is the brain, trying to protect the body. Mentally, being tired and stressed out can shut the body down from completing an Ironman or summiting Mt. Rainier before you physically can't. The mind gets in the way of what the body is capable of doing, creating hesitation from jumping over a crevasse or wanting to quit because you're feeling cold or tired.
Therefore, being prepared mentally is just as important as being being prepared physically to summit Rainier, especially when your legs and lungs are screaming for oxygen at 14,410 feet in near 0 degree F temps. In the weeks before Mimi passed, I felt like I was carrying a 100-pound pack, seeing my Mimi go from conversation to near coma to eternal life.
I was not myself in those last few weeks. My saving grace was training for Rainier, as it brought a few moments of distraction each day, as I visualized the summit and blew some steam while working out. It was enough to re-boot, re-focus, and re-energize to make it through the rest of the day, allowing me to come back a better grandson, son and brother.
As I reflect on that time, the challenge wasn't the actual workouts; it was motivating myself to get out there to do it. I would tell myself to do "just 30 minutes" (thanks to Lauren's strategy). Once I did, my body knew what to do, and 30 minutes quickly turned into 60.
It's easier said than done, but if we can escape our own minds, we become unstoppable. Lauren hears it all too often, but I always say that everything in life is 99 percent mental. Whether it was Mimi's passing, or the legs and lungs hurting as I did hill repeats with a weight vest and altitude mask, it was amazing what I could convince my body to do.
The week of February 4, 2018, Mimi's passing and Apple Hill in Fogelsville, PA were my summits, making me stronger, mentally and physically, for the real summit I would face that September. Of course, a good support network is key to battling through the mental challenges and to help stay the course. So I thank each and everyone of my family and friends, as they were that network on multiple levels, and I know they will continue to be as I plan future expeditions.
For Mimi and Rainier, I persevered!
Climb On!